Mean Business w/ SWS (unisex)

[Beccah]

TONKA ~ Love, money, courage, wishes granted; wards off illness.
BALSAM ~ Fertility, purification, strength, rejuvenation, calming and soothing, healing, protection, money, long life.
MOSSES ~ Luck enhancing, financial success, protection, charity. Parental love.
CEDAR ~ Confidence inducing, balancing, grounding, energizing, money, healing, protection, purification.
PINE ~ Fertility, purification, strength, rejuvenation, calming and soothing, healing, protection, money, long life.
OAK ~ A wood of masculine and projective energy. It symbolizes endurance, triumph, strength, power, prosperity, and heroism.
VETIVER ~ Enhances perception of beauty. Love, sensuality, money, luck, hex-breaking.
CLOVE ~ Money attracting, deflects negative and hostile energies.
VANILLA ~ Aphrodisiac, inspires happiness, playfulness, sexual arousal, lust, vitalizing.

Scent: Gives off an aura of professional, clean, linen-like crispness.

[NuTrix]

At first I thought I would definitely prefer this on my guy rather than on me.

 

It's very woodsy/crisp and while wet I didn't get the linen-like at all, just all manliness...but on dry down I completely get it! How on earth do you DO that Mara?!? Once it transitions, literally like 5 minutes of dry down, I can totally see this being a unisex fragrance. I COMPLETEY wanted a SWS fragrance and I think I found a winner! This is not SC or CB linen, this is a pressed shirt, understated, clean, linen-like scent, just like the description states. This one suits me because it doesn't have any of the floral notes that SC and CB have that can go stabby on me. This is really great! I can see this getting some serious appreciation in this house. It's not an in your face, "Hey! I'm wearing a fragrance!" People will just think you take good care of your laundry...I believe I would actually compliment a guy on how good he smelled if he stood next to me smelling like this....

[Snoopyace]

That's great to know! I've also been looking for an SWS scent. I'll have to try this one.

[donsie]

What an enjoyable review to read, NuTrix!

 

Can I just say: tonka, tonka, TONKA!

[Lainey]

I like Tonka, too. What does SWS mean?

 

Also, I was like, Gaaaaahhhhh, you got yours already!? But I just checked my tracking # and mine is in my city somewhere!!! Maybe it will get here tomorrow. I hope I hope I hope!!! It's so cold here...I hope it doesn't freeze. I'll just have to keep checking for it.

[androstenol]

Speaking of freezing, does that affect the vials at all ? More travel shock ?

[NuTrix]

What an enjoyable review to read, NuTrix!

 

Can I just say: tonka, tonka, TONKA!

 

Glad it was helpful

 

I like Tonka, too. What does SWS mean?

 

Also, I was like, Gaaaaahhhhh, you got yours already!? But I just checked my tracking # and mine is in my city somewhere!!! Maybe it will get here tomorrow. I hope I hope I hope!!! It's so cold here...I hope it doesn't freeze. I'll just have to keep checking for it.

 

Swimming with Sharks

 

Speaking of freezing, does that affect the vials at all ? More travel shock ?

 

So far, makes them cold but I give them at least 24 hours to acclimate out of habit now. It does make a world of difference sometimes.

[Lainey]

It's -2 F here. Will they freeze? We just got community mailboxes (goodbye, home delivery--*sobs*), and I feel all protective of them sitting there in that cold metal box!

[donsie]

Are they in oil, Lainey? Try not to worry, as DPG won't freeze until it's 40 below!

[luna65]

This reminds me a bit of Portmanteau - not that they smell that much alike, just a similar vibe. I'm not normally a fan of the neutral clean sheer kind of scents like these, but I do like this one; it is very work-friendly and I like the trace of sweetness it has sort of hovering above the primarily linen quality. Normally linen accords don't agree with me, but this one is really nice. This is absolutely the perfect kind of scent for SWS and the workplace.

[Dolly]

I just tried this one, and I really do like it. It is quite manly on me at first, but dries down to just a fresh clean scent. I got a sample for myself and a bottle for a friend.....not really my style, but I think it will be a great work scent for my man......he loves the fresh scents. I think I am probably going to have to pick up a bottle for him as well.

[ssupytalp]

I quite like this one; the scent seems to match the phero very well.

 

It's clean, calm, fresh and self-assured.

Sort of almost-soapy, but not in a bad way (I'm not usually a huge fan of soapy). There is something very no-nonsense and functional about the scent which I really like.

 

It works fine on my skin and I can absolutely see this working on a man as well.

[Beccah]

I think I'm amping teh clove not in this, something in it reminds a bit of Rajah, but more like Rajah-lite? Either way I smell wonderful.

[Dolly]

My man tried this one last night, and it smells fab on him. Very fresh. Tonka generally does smell great on him, though.

[Black Cat]

Mmm, this is lovely! It's clean and fresh but not soapy clean (that wouldn't be a problem for me, as I love the soapy ones, but just saying this is a bit different). It's tilted ever so slightly to the masculine of things for me, but if I had a situation that called for the SWS phero, I would definitely wear this. This is like being outside on a crisp fall day and being able to smell someone doing laundry in basement of the house you are standing to next to. The linen clean smell is riding on a tide of nature notes.

 

In a weird way, this smells like a very civilized version of Unseelie to me. As if you stumbled onto the Fae during Wash Day.

[androstenol]

I've been wearing SWS in Totem: Beaver with great results. Now hubby wants to get in on the action and tada ! Pheromas !!! We tried this on his skin tonight just in case it was a no-go for him for work. And even wet he goes "yeah that smells good...I could wear that to work...it reminds me of a cologne I used to wear in my 20ties..." Like ssupytalp mentions above, this is NOT soapy, something that would have put him off. It's clean, somewhat like laundry, just masculine enough to be very wearable by a man, but not in-your-face sexy. A really professionally-blended and well designed scent for this phero.

 

I am super grateful. I had bought him A314 a few months ago (if I am not allowed to mention this, feel free to delete this part of my post) but he still has most of it because I cannot STAND him coming home with the scent of it on his collar even after 12 hours !! But this we both like ! He's going to test drive it tomorrow, and I'll report back.

Edited November 23, 2014 by androstenol

[quietguy]

Haha - talk about a scent that is all over there - then this one may be it. I read everyone else's descriptions and get something close but not quite dead-on. Of course this is the beauty of Mara's scents as they blend in with your skin and your individual body chemistry and give you something unique. But I am laughing because usually I agree with one person - quite often Luna - and this time everything is close but different. For example I can not pull any tonka out of this and usually tonka leaps out at my nose.

 

When this one is wet, it is something in between Luna's & Beccah's description. It does sort of remind me a little of Portmanteu (got a sniffee a while back and "sniffee-ed" it) and the clove. Kind of a slightly sharp scent at first, though certainly not a bad sharp scent nor medicinal. Just a sharp scent I think related to the clove but combined with something else in there so it is not definitely clove at all. And I say sharp because .... once it dries down, it is something between the linen and the woods on my skin. A very good, solid, daily great for work scent, especially if you work in a professional environment where a more muted cologne is a must or perhaps you have co-workers who are sensitive to scent. This scent is good (I like both the linen and woods type scents and this is somehow a cross between the two) but it is work-perfect muted. It does not seem to have a lot of "throw" once it dries down. I could certainly smell it on me if i focused on it, but I could tell it was not leaving a big sillage behind.

 

The extra bang for your buck here is the Swimming with Sharks (SWS) pheromone blend. At work I have to be considered trustworthy, knowledgeable, etc. etc. and still appear solid when I have to refer to one of my "experts". And while I am all those things (lol!), it certainly helps to have a pheromone blend that helps project that. I see people when they are having trouble, need help, feel vulnerable and are worried about people taking advantage of them. SWS helps me project what I am - the guy who is going to help them and that they can trust to do so.

 

QG gives this a definite thumbs up!!

 

ETA: The more I wear this one, the more I like it.

Edited September 30, 2015 by quietguy

[phergineer]

Can any of you compare this to Totem Beaver? I've noticed that one works great as a scent carrier for SWS, but I'm not totally sold on getting a full bottle yet, so I'm in between Mean Business (unsniffed) and Beaver for my next order. Thanks!

[ssupytalp]

To my nose, Beaver is slightly softer and warmer; this one seems a bit fresher and soapier.

[NuTrix]

Can any of you compare this to Totem Beaver? I've noticed that one works great as a scent carrier for SWS, but I'm not totally sold on getting a full bottle yet, so I'm in between Mean Business (unsniffed) and Beaver for my next order. Thanks!

 

I used up my entire sample of Totem: Beaver to find out that I quite liked the effects of SWS. Beaver just wasn't a fragrance I liked enough to go FB on. So I've been waiting and watching and desiring a fragrance with SWS to come out that I would dig and nab them every time one is available. T:B and Mean Business aren't anything alike to my nose. T:B is more foodie and MB is more clean linen. Completely un-alike to me. MB is like picking up fresh dry cleaning, where everything is pressed and clean smelling I don't think it stands out as much as T:B just because someone would easily think that the scent was coming from well cared for clothes or a fresh, clean scented body wash perhaps.

[luna65]

They're two completely different fragrances, so I would say that if you want to try SWS in a different scent it's worth getting a sample at least.

[tink333]

I was very surprised by this scent because I had no idea what it would smell like on me. Luna actually described it the way I experienced the scent as well, with this sweet note hovering above the crisp scent underneath. It is perfect for the workplace. It made me want to go out and buy a nice new shirt and blazer for a job interview I have next week. And, now I have a great scent to wear as well!

Edited December 13, 2014 by tink333

[androstenol]

This is the first potion that hubby ever requested to get a FB of. He says it makes people at work more cooperative and no one has said anything about noticing him wearing anything. Makes me feel good that he is getting some benefit.

[phergineer]

Unfortunately this one does not work on my skin, it's very masculine and sharp.

I tried having my fiance do a swipe on his arm, and the reaction was "This smells like urinal cake"

I was really hoping for a SWS scent for him, but he rejected it from the start.

As for me, I ordered Sugared Vanilla to layer with 2 of the unisex November scents I had ordered after reading everyone's reviews, but Mean Business overpowers the Sugared Vanilla, and when they finally blend, it still smells like some sort of bathroom air freshener with a touch of vanilla on me. Maybe my perception is skewed based on my fiance's comment... but I think I prefer Totem: Beaver over this.

[LoveStruck]

At first I was a little worried about this one because woods can really amp big time on me, and the first time I smelled it in the vial I was like "oh hell no". But, as with many of the pheromas this year, i've gone back to this one at least three times and it is growing on me. For me, this is a clean, grounded intense boysmell at first application, almost like I'm wearing my husband's cologne. About 20 minutes into it, it softens & the vetiver peeks through with a little hint of vanilla. I'm going to test layer with my Sugared Vanilla Bean - I think that will feminize it just enough for me, while still remaining very professional.

Edited December 16, 2014 by LoveStruck

[donsie]

It starts out with clear woods and vetiver on me taking things to the masculine end of unisex but my skin has the strange ability to break almost any scent's will and make it into a feminine incarnation of itself. Thus Mean Business ends up drying to a very slightly foody and creamy softness from the vanilla (probably also clove and tonka) with a touch of sweet balsam.

[Dolly]

I made one into a spray for my man for Christmas....he loves it. He said that he really likes the freshness of it and that it doesn't smell heavy after drydown, and doesn't offend even the most sensitive noses in his office.

[TheBirkeys]

Just got to try Mean Business a few days ago...I didn't think it would be one that I would love. Boy, was I wrong!! On me this is a perfect clean and fresh cottony scent. I happen to love these types of scents!! I love Sneaky Clean and it puts me in mind of SC without the sweetness. It's a perfect fragrance for work..for both men and women! I can't wait to smell it on my guy! The phero blend SWS is not one that I am very familiar with because right now I am at home taking care of my dad and the house, but I put it on my mom, who is a nurse, before she leaves for work and she comes home in a better mood after a day of dealing with doctors and other co-workers..lol The potion and the phero blend go together perfectly in my book! Planning on a fb of this one!

[HappyGoSkillfully]

Wearing this out tonight. Tried it on and think it smells great. I can't see how anyone wouldn't.

 

If they do..."F" 'em!

[HappyGoSkillfully]

Well well,

 

Met up with a group of friends that had gone to a wedding. Naturally dance floor took place at this hotel club.

 

The Wedding Planner took a liking to me and made sure I knew she thought I smelled good/sexy. She also made sure I knew she had a room at the hotel. Then came the invitation. Then came me.

 

To be fair, I did have a shot of Titan from Apex on my chest as well, BUT my smell was certainly the Mean Business. I really liked the smell and feel that I could wear this one a lot. Great subtle smell.

 

I approve this message.

[Sputnick]

I got a sample of this back around Christmas, but since I haven't been working in an office envirnment lately I've pretty much been ignoring it. Big mistake.

This is probably the most work-friendly scent I have found - I totally get all the references to fresh, clean laundry. Clean, but definitely not soapy. It doesn't have a whole lot of throw, but since I'm usually working in places where strong scent is frowned upon, it's perfect.

And the SWS just seems to make everything go more smoothly.

Now I want a full bottle and it's sold out. Damn!

[maiea]

Also in the camp of "damn, no full bottle left?"

 

Realized too late that this works really well for job interviews.

[Sputnick]

I wonder what the chance of a rebrew is.

 

Anyone know if there's anything in the un-pheroed lineup which smells similar to Mean Business?

[androstenol]

You might like Money Multiplier with SWS, it's an office friendly clean green scent.

[CerisLou]

I have a job interview tomorrow and will be interviewed by a woman so I am thinking of wearing this. Is this a good choice for this purpose?

[Guest cutie.pie]

I think anything with SWS is a great choice for job interviews! GOOD LUCK!

[donsie]

I have a job interview tomorrow and will be interviewed by a woman so I am thinking of wearing this. Is this a good choice for this purpose?

 

Absolutely a good choice! Good luck!

Edited June 4, 2015 by donsie

[maiea]

I have a job interview tomorrow and will be interviewed by a woman so I am thinking of wearing this. Is this a good choice for this purpose?

 

How did it go???

[CerisLou]

It went really well. The lady who interviewed me was very friendly and said she thinks I am the kind of person who would fit well with the company. However she said she thinks I was over qualified for the position I applied for so she got me to take a couple of aptitude tests which she said she was going to pass on to their finance people with a view to training me as a mortgage consultant. She said I'll hear from her although she didn't say when so now I just have my fingers crossed that it wasn't all just hot air and she will get back to me.

 

I really need to get out of the job I'm in as I have been there for 13 years and I've had enough as I'm going a little stir crazy with boredom so I really hope something comes from this. It really was a encouraging interview though so I think a hit for SWS.

[maiea]

It went really well. The lady who interviewed me was very friendly and said she thinks I am the kind of person who would fit well with the company. However she said she thinks I was over qualified for the position I applied for so she got me to take a couple of aptitude tests which she said she was going to pass on to their finance people with a view to training me as a mortgage consultant. She said I'll hear from her although she didn't say when so now I just have my fingers crossed that it wasn't all just hot air and she will get back to me.

 

I really need to get out of the job I'm in as I have been there for 13 years and I've had enough as I'm going a little stir crazy with boredom so I really hope something comes from this. It really was a encouraging interview though so I think a hit for SWS.

That's great! Good luck!